Ex-Love Lies in Ashes musician Tom Reynolds is the sole member of the UK-based death metal act Foul Body Autopsy. The project officially began in 2010 with the Foul Body Autopsy – Vol. 1 recording, and since then has been issuing random EPs, not to mention a self-titled full-length in 2013 through UKEM Records. Up to 2014’s So Close to Complete Dehumanization, it seemed something new would pop up at least once a year. However, there was no new Foul Body Autopsy for 2015. Instead, we find the fifth EP, Perpetuated by Greed, dropping early on in 2016 through Grindscene Records. But has that time allowed Tom to further his craft, or is this just a jumbled mess of random, unfinished compositions masquerading as grindcore?

Up front, Perpetuated by Greed stands more like a modern death metal album infused with grindcore, but sans the actual grindcore most of the time. With exception to two tracks, this EP caters more to the shorter lengths many commonly associate with the likes of Napalm Death and Nasum, though without actually incorporating much to favor that latter style or what made those groups such a driving force in that very community. In fact, this recording just sounds built from the ground up to cater to a standard death metal affair, which it does very well in its current generation standards and robust audio quality on par with something Job for a Cowboy and similar acts of today in the style would put out, but without the bland sterilization to hold it back. That is left up to the aforementioned shortened song lengths.

“Enslaved the Rest of Creation” introduces a hint of thrash metal akin to the likes of Terror 2000, but with a Carnal Forge hostility at the wheel, which can also be said for “Chewed Up by the Machine”. The problem is that, while the second actually feels complete despite being only seventy-four seconds long, the former doesn’t, ending in an incredibly abrupt way devoid of the point that makes such a burst of hostility work in the realm of grindcore. Even “Destabilized Perception” carries itself as something meant to be as furious as any intense bout of grinding, but seems to be stuck in first gear, struggling to go beyond the same moderately stationary position of “Devoid of Humanity”, which also feels void of a proper conclusion.

But when Foul Body Autopsy focuses on the straight-forward death metal material and ventures beyond the typical grindcore track length, you’re shown just where this solo act excels. “Complete Environmental Collapse” takes full advantage of the drum kit, pulling the deeper bass kicks forward to work along with the bass guitar, acting as support during some of the sections with highly technical fretwork, especially at the end when those very kicks attack like a machine-gun to hammer home a truly punishing climax that wraps the EP up quite well. Of course there’s also “Perpetuated by Greed”, which does spend more time leading into the performance than actually fleshing itself out. The burdening, war-tinged start is a good set up to the effort though, and even with roughly a minute-and-a-half to spare, Tom Reynolds still executes a hefty performance you won’t regret experiencing.

When Foul Body Autopsy does it right, the end result is a hard-hitting track that will have you begging for more. However, when the performances seem to cater to a grindcore output that doesn’t quite have the intensity or extremely tight execution the style needs to properly thrive, things do end up a little more on the lacklustre side, leaving you begging for more structure and meat on the barren bones. Sadly, there’s more of the latter than there is the former on this entry, which really stands as its only downfall, leaving behind the anorexic remains of something that could have been a pretty brutal offering otherwise. One minute you easily slip into the crushing material, the next you’re left stumbling trying to figure out why the moshing tunes suddenly died quicker than a Deicide show with an unhappy Glen Benton. While it’s impossible to really suggest this latest outing, Perpetuated by Greed does at least boast two songs worth streaming over at the solo act’s official Bandcamp page.